3-D Printing of Personalized Medical Devices

Personalized medicine involves more than just allowing for molecular individuality. There are circumstances, particularly in unborn and newly born babies, which require special tools that fit the body. To that end, engineers at Northeastern University have devised a new method of 3-D printing. They use ceramic fibers, dusted with iron oxide, and mixed with liquid plastic to make a magnetized composite which can be custom shaped with magnetic fields. The resulting product, such as a miniature catheter, is stronger and lighter than those made with conventional 3-D printing. MORE